Juniper ID
Guernsey Donkey2
Posts: 6,713
in Plants
Is this a juniper tree - we had never seen anything like this before. 
We wondered if the cones (2nd picture) had been eaten by the birds or just dropped on the ground although none were visible on the ground. The tree was approx 8 foot tall in a plant border.
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not a juniper. Picea probably - spruce
In the sticks near Peterborough
Thanks nutcutlet, it is an unusual tree to see here. We don't have squirrels so wondered about the seeds - perhaps they just drop in the hot sunny weather we have had here, just as they fall from our pine trees in hot weather.
Cedrus atlantica Glauca group. Stately trees
H-C
It is a species of Abies, the Silver firs. Picea, the Spruces have drooping cones, these cones are upright. Cedrus also have upright cones but bear their needles in rosettes like a Larch. With it bearing cones on a plant just 8ft high my guess would be Abies koreana as most other species do not bear cones till much bigger. I hope it is A.koreana as it the smallest and slowest growing of Abies, in fact the only wanted suited to a garden in the long term. To confirm it is Abies not Picea pull one of the needles off. On Abies the needle will rip off a little bark, on Picea the needle comes of leaving a little protruding "peg".
Brilliant ident notes. Useful tip that, ta. I should have thought of abies. They really are treasures for the garden, but so rarely available, even from suppliers, such is the lack of interest in conifers, generally, sadly.
H-C
Hi thank you for all your inputs, I have goggled Abies and Cedrus but am in a quandary to know which if either it is - the cones weren't blue although I realize that they could start out in one colour and mature into another colour - it isn't our tree, but one we saw on a walk around our town - in a lovely plant display in a Bank's surrounding area, so I doubt if we will pass that tree again this year. It was just so unusual and attractive we felt it would be good to have more information from anyone that recognized it. There are so many trees that we may see once or perhaps not at all in our life time, aren't there?